The Sahel and West Africa Week 2015: “Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life"

The Sahel and West Africa Week is an annual event which gathers Members, partners and networks of the Sahel and West Africa Club (SWAC). It has become a major reference for the region’s development stakeholders and is a a unique space for the informal exchange of experiences, joint analyses, debates, networking and building partnerships.

The 2015 edition of the Week will be held at  Expo Milano from 26-30 October at the invitation of the ­European Union. The Week will raise public awareness of the Expo’s theme “Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life” from a West African perspective.

Focusing on food security and resilience the debates will draw attention to:

Stakeholders
Raise awareness of West African experiences and particularly the role of women in building resilience and sustainability.

Policies
Share innovative thinking and approaches to promoting regional food and nutrition security.

Partnerships
Strengthen linkages between regional food security policies and practices and relevant inter­national policy processes.

The Week brings together regional organisations, representatives from West African governments and OECD countries, civil society, professional associations, research centres, international organisations, multi-lateral and bi­lateral agencies, and the media.


Organised in collaboration with Expo Milano 2015, the Week will raise public awareness of the Expo’s theme “Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life” from a West African perspective.  The Expo represents a unique opportunity for stakeholders and partners to showcase their achievements and to share knowledge on how to improve food and nutrition security and increase resilience in the region.  The Week will bring together regional organisations, representatives from West African governments and OECD countries, and experts in several events, including a two-day Forum to discuss the impact of  on-going transformations on food security and resilience; a special session of the Food Crisis Prevention Network (RPCA) and a meeting of the Senior Experts Group of the Global Alliance for Resilience (AGIR) – Sahel and West Africa.The Week is organised by the Sahel and West Africa Club and its Members and partners, by invitation of the European Union.


October is Food Security Month

October is Food Security Month, a thematic month of the European Year for Development. The month feature a wide range of thematic face-to-face events and the launch of new videos, case studies and stories online on the EU’s work on food and nutrition security and sustainable agriculture. Each week features a specific regional and thematic focus with the final week coinciding with the Sahel and West Africa Week (26-30 October) at the Milan Expo. Events and resources for a professional audience are posted on the ROSA network, the online network on food and nutrition security and sustainable agriculture.

On the occasion of World Food Day, the Sahel and West Africa Club Secretariat - SWAC-OECD, in collaboration with ECOWAS, UEMOA and CILSS and with the financial support of the European Commission, is launching a film dedicated to the Food Crisis Prevention Network - RPCA. The objective is to raise awareness about the success of the Network, which for 30 years has been engaged in the fight against food and nutrition insecurity in the Sahel and West Africa.